Where the OKC Thunder Rank Among the Top 10 NBA Teams Entering August

Another contender was unofficially added to the NBA 2026-2027 power rankings when LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.

While the Oklahoma City Thunder remain at the top of most preseason predictions, the field of teams deemed worthy of title contention by most outlets has grown over the summer. The Eastern Conference in particular has become more competitive, deeper and quite a bit more interesting.

So as we kick off the certain to be slow NBA news cycle of August, I've compiled my personal list of top 10 teams with championship pedigree.

Top 10 2027 NBA Team Power Rankings (August Edition)

10. Cleveland Cavaliers. This roster has too much talent and too much proven regular season success to keep them out of the list. But this roster also has too much proven postseason disappointment to rank them any higher.

9. Detroit Pistons. Maybe too low for the East's #1 seed last year. But Tobias Harris and Isaiah Stewart are out the door. While I like the additions of John Collins and former Thunder sharpshooter Isaiah Joe, they seem to be headed for a bit of a drop off.

8. Boston Celtics. We may find out Jaylen Brown was the key cog to their success last season or we may find out that anonymous NBA analytics staffer was right that he's the seventh best player on a team.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves. No idea whatsoever whether adding LaMelo Ball and losing Julius Randle and Naz Reid makes this team better, worse or pretty much the same.

6. Toronto Raptors. This placement is dependent, of course, on whether or not the Kawhi Leonard trade ever becomes official. Which we will find out sometime soon or in 2032.

5. Denver Nuggets. A team with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon alongside some solid role players still feels like a true contender. But then you remember how poor they played against the hospital Timberwolves in the playoffs and you just end up sticking them in the middle of the list.

4. Philadelphia 76ers. There are legitimate question marks about this roster. Who plays defense? Can five high usage players find the right chemistry? Joel Embiid's health. LeBron James' age. Jaylen Brown's desire to be the guy. But there is no denying the sheer amount of talent.

3. New York Knicks. This may seem disrespectful considering they are the reigning champions. But their ranking has less to do with the Knicks and more to do with the two juggernauts above them.

2. San Antonio Spurs. Despite the 4-1 NBA Finals loss, the young, inexperienced team looked like the superior squad during much of that series. An added year of development and Tobias Harris will only make them stronger.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder. Provided health, the 2025 champs are still the most talented team in the NBA. OKC players and fans may still be celebrating back to back titles at this very moment if not for injuries to Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell.